


Atom Bomb Babies

by Kinz_The_Mighty_Poptart



Series: Twin Survivors AU [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Mild Language, Multi, Orphans, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 14:29:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14022282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kinz_The_Mighty_Poptart/pseuds/Kinz_The_Mighty_Poptart
Summary: Twin Survivors Betsy and Teddy Townsend are forced to navigate the Commonwealth alone at the tender age of 14 after mysterious strangers kill their parents and kidnap their baby brother Sean. Orphaned in a strange new world, the twins are willing to do whatever it takes to rescue and reunite with Sean.





	Atom Bomb Babies

_Sanctuary Hills, Massachusetts; 8:50 AM_

 

                Betsy turned the radio dial up as “Anything Goes” came on. She was sitting on her bed, casually flipping through an issue of Live & Love.

 

Her twin brother, Teddy, was laying down on his bed, across the room, lazily throwing a baseball up and catching it.

 

From what she could hear, Codsworth was in the kitchen preparing breakfast, Sean was still asleep in his crib, and her parents were in the bathroom going over her father’s speech for the Veteran’s Hall.

 

Just a typical Saturday morning.

 

                Betsy paused, looking up from her comic.

 

“Are you going to Sophia’s Halloween Party?” she asked Teddy. Teddy audibly scoffed.

 

“No, I don’t think I will. I’m still grounded from breaking the Whitfield’s window last weekend, remember?” Teddy questioned.

He was looking at Betsy now, his face the picture of exasperation.

 

                Teddy had a promising future as a pitcher on the Minuteman High School baseball team, so he was prone to practicing whenever he got the chance even if he did it in the worst places possible.

 

Teddy had also been a straight-A student since birth, a feat that Betsy had been struggling to achieve for most of her life. Teddy was the golden boy baseball star with grades to match and Betsy was Betsy.

 

                However, Betsy’s talents revolved more around her killer aim and her silver tongue. While Teddy had a promising future with the baseball team, Betsy had a promising future with the debate team and had already made it to finals twice at tournament.

 

Betsy’s other talent, of course, was her skill with a rifle. She had a dead-aim and could easily hit moving targets at a distance. This was why her side of the room was covered with blue ribbons from state and national competitions.

 

                “Are Mom and Dad still going over Dad’s speech?” Teddy asked, breaking the silence.

 

Betsy listened for a moment and realized that she could still hear their voices coming from the bathroom. “I think so… Hey! Maybe if Dad’s thing at the Veteran’s Hall goes well tonight he’ll unground you,” she suggested.

 

Teddy snorted with laughter and shook his head.

 

“Doubt it, that’s the second window I’ve broken in a month,” he argued.

 

                Betsy rolled her eyes. She picked up her comic and flopped back on her bed, it was just getting good.

 

She allowed herself to get lost in the plot to the point that she didn’t hear her mother come in.

 

Betsy only noticed her mother’s presence when she felt her tap her shoulder.

 

Donna Townsend was a beautiful woman with a full head of blonde curls, soft, freckle-dusted features, and clear blue eyes. Betsy liked to believe that she favored her mother, aside from her ginger hair.

 

“Yes, ma’am?” Betsy questioned, gazing up at her mother.

 

“The bathroom’s all yours, Lizzy. You can go get ready for your date with Toby,” her mother explained.

 

                Betsy carefully closed her comic and placed it on her nightstand. It could wait until she got home.

 

“Thank you, Mom,” she murmured as she stood up. Her mother kissed her on the cheek before letting her pass.

 

                Betsy’s boyfriend, Toby Martinez, had just gotten his driver’s license and, with a little begging on his part, his parents had allowed him to use the car to take Betsy to the Starlight Drive-In.

 

Of course, the Starlight Drive-In wouldn’t have a movie showing until 6 pm, but Toby had suggested that they go to the Museum of Freedom to see the new exhibit on Anchorage and eat at the Drumline Diner to kill time.

 

In other words, they would be spending the day together and Toby would be there at 10 am on the dot.

 

                On her way up the hall, Betsy ducked into Sean’s room. She made her way over to the crib and peered down at her younger brother.

 

To her surprise, he was awake, studying his mobile with interest. Blue eyes wide with amusement, he giggled when he saw her.

 

                Sean had been born just 3 months prior and adjusting to him had been a little hard for Betsy. For most of her life it had just been her and Teddy.

 

Why her parents had decided to have another baby after 14 years was beyond her, but she wouldn’t question it. She had grown pretty close to her new little brother after all.

 

“Give it a spin,” Betsy’s father instructed from the door, pulling her out of her thoughts, “I fixed it just the other day.”

 

Betsy reached out and gently spun Sean’s mobile. Sean erupted with laughter and cooed happily at the bright colors.

Betsy smiled and reached down to stroke Sean’s cheek.

 

                “You’re pretty fond of Sean, huh?”  Betsy’s father asked, stepping close enough to put his hand on her shoulder.

 

“He’s certainly grown on me,” Betsy confessed. She took the opportunity to look up at her father and met his calm, green gaze.

 

It was nice to have him home.

 

                For Betsy’s entire life, and even before that, her father had been a career military man. In her toddling years, they had moved around a lot due to her father constantly being transferred from base to base.

 

When the Sino-American War began, Betsy’s father had answered the call and Betsy’s mother had brought Betsy and Teddy back to Boston to raise them near her parents. Betsy’s father would come home on leave occasionally, but he spent most of the war deployed.

 

                But, with Operation Anchorage, the war had turned in America’s favor, so Nathaniel Townsend had retired with the rank of Colonel and returned home. After nearly 30 years of service, he was ready to leave to military behind.

 

That was probably why Betsy’s parents had decided they were ready to raise another child. And, thankfully, Sean would get to have his father around all the time.

 

                 Betsy’s father squeezed her shoulder pulling her out of her thoughts.

 

“Go on, get ready for your date. If you stall much longer you won’t be anywhere near ready when Toby gets here,” he explained.

 

“What time is it?” she asked. Her father glanced at his watch.

 

“9:15.”

 

                Betsy had a little time, but it was better to be safe than sorry, so she hurried into the bathroom.

 

She took a little time in styling her hair in a way that clipped it out of her face. When she was done, she stopped to admire herself for just a moment.

 

Then, she pulled her makeup kit out from under the sink and set to work. She hadn’t had it for very long, but she was starting to get the hang of it, so it didn’t take her that long.

 

She was just putting the finishing touches on her makeup when all hell broke loose.

 

                Betsy rushed out of the bathroom, her makeup kit forgotten, at the sound of her mother’s worried shouting. She nearly crashed into her father, carrying Sean, and Teddy as she made her way to the living room.

 

Her mother and Codsworth were in front of the TV. The air in the room felt suffocating once Betsy caught the look of fear on her mother’s face.

 

                “…Confirmed nuclear attacks in New York and Pennsylvania,” the reported claimed. The grimness in his voice sent chills down Betsy’s spine.

 

“We’ve got to get to the Vault!” Betsy’s mother exclaimed, frantic. She rushed across the room and out the front door and the rest of the family followed in short order.

 

                Betsy was unsure about why they were going to the Vault, they weren’t on the list as far as she knew.

 

Every day for the past month, the Vault-Tec Rep. had come to pester her parents about registration, and every day they had refused.

 

Maybe they had finally signed up today. What a miracle that would be.

 

                As she ran through the streets of her most recent hometown, Betsy felt fear in the pit of her stomach.

 

Her neighbors were all-out frantic around them. Some of them were running for the Vault, and others were trying to outrun the impending attacks in their cars.

 

Soldiers lined the streets, adding to the sense of urgency.

 

They shouted to direct the chaos that Sanctuary Hills was quickly descending into.

 

                As they crossed the footbridge, they were met with more soldiers and more frantic neighbors scrambling towards the Vault.

 

Betsy stole a glance at her mother, leading them towards safety, and her father, cradling her infant brother, a little way ahead of her. Then, she looked to Teddy, who was clearly running a lot slower than he had to to make sure they didn’t lose her, just ahead of her.

 

By now she could see the chain-link fence that surrounded the Vault, just up the Hill.

 

                Betsy’s mother met the soldier at the gate.

 

“We need to get in, we’re on the list. Townsend,” she barked at him, giving away just how afraid she was.

 

The soldier glanced at his clipboard, then up at them.

 

“Infant, Adolescent Male, Adolescent Female, Adult Male, Adult Female,” he listed, looking to each of them in turn, “Right this way ma’am.”

 

The soldier stepped aside to let them pass.

 

                As they passed through the gate, Betsy caught the sight of the Vault-Tec Rep. pleading to be let in. She was struck with worry for the man and hoped that he would be able to find shelter, but there was nothing she could do, so she kept going.

 

Once she got in though, Betsy would be giving Vault-Tec a piece of her mind about their treatment of loyal employees.

 

                Betsy wove through the throng of shouting soldiers and Vault-Tec employees and followed her parents onto the platform.

 

Betsy took a deep breath and looked to make sure that Teddy was still with them. He flashed her a reassuring smile and she returned it.

 

Now more than ever, Betsy was glad to have her twin.

 

                Almost immediately, the platform began to descend and just as it did, a bomb struck. Somewhere to south there was a detonation.

 

The mushroom cloud loomed tall and the force of destruction moved towards them rapidly. Just as the platform cover closed, the fallout washed over, shaking the ground and making the lights flicker.

 

                Betsy stood on the platform in shock for a second, even as her parents moved inside the Vault.

 

“Bess, come on, we need to keep up,” Teddy urged, giving her a gentle nudge. He sighed when she didn’t respond and took her hand.

 

Betsy allowed Teddy to guide her into the Vault and up to grab Vault-Suits, still too in shock to really think.

 

                They met their parents, who were talking to a Vault-Tec scientist, just outside the “decontamination chamber”.

 

The scientist gave them all a moment to change into their Vault-Suits, then led them inside.

 

As they moved into the “decontamination chamber”, Betsy stole a glance at Teddy. Teddy was eyeing the “decontamination pods” with enough suspicion to send chills down Betsy’s spine.

 

                The scientist led them to the last four pods, then headed back to the room’s entrance.

 

“It will be okay,” Betsy’s father assured, “we just need to let them decontaminate us, or whatever, and then we can begin our new life in the vault.” He kissed Betsy’s mother and she caressed his cheek lovingly.

 

“We’ve been given a second chance,” Betsy’s mother echoed, eyeing Sean.

 

                Teddy didn’t say anything, but he hugged their mother and then their father before patting Sean’s head. Betsy copied his actions before they too shared a hug.

 

The family didn’t say anything else, opting instead to get into their individual decontamination-pods. Betsy was across from her parents, she blew each of them a kiss.

 

                Then, she waited for the decontamination to start. Suddenly, it started to feel really cold.

 

She wasn’t sure how it was supposed to feel, but something felt wrong. Her awareness started to fade…

* * *

                Betsy suddenly came to. There was a blaring siren that told her that something was deeply wrong.

 

Suddenly, a strange man and woman came into view.

 

“This is the one,” the woman, who was wearing some sort of hazmat suit, assured. She was pointing to Betsy’s father’s pod.

 

“Open it,” the man instructed.

 

                The woman opened it and Betsy’s father sputtered and gasped. He held Sean, who was bawling, tight in his arms.

 

“Is it over?” her father asked, “Are we okay to go in the Vault?”

 

“Almost, everything’s gonna be fine,” the mysterious man assured. The woman was reaching for Sean.

 

“Come here,” she cooed.

 

                “No, I’ve got him!” Betsy’s father snarled defensively, pulling Sean closer to his chest.

 

“Let the boy go, I’m only gonna tell you once,” the man warned. The woman was attempting to pull Sean from Betsy’s father’s arms.

 

“I’m not giving you Sean!” her father spat, struggling to keep his hold on his youngest child.

 

                Bang! Just like that, the mysterious man shot Betsy’s father between the eyes and the woman in the hazmat suit pulled Sean from his arms. They closed the pod.

 

“Goddammit! Get the kid out of here and let’s go…” the man instructed. He crossed to Betsy’s pod and leaned in close to the glass.

 

                He was balding with a distinctive scar and a beard.

 

“At least we still have the back-ups,” he concluded, glancing from Betsy’s pod to Teddy’s.

 

Betsy felt anger and fear and confusion, why did they do that?!

 

But then, it started to feel really cold again. She felt her consciousness fade once more…

 

**Author's Note:**

> I've really liked the idea of an alternative plot to Fallout 4 for a while now and I thought I'd give this one a go. I'm open to plot suggestions as this will be my first long fic and I'm willing to embrace criticism because I'm really not sure what I'm doing here. Also, I intend to switch between points of view, so next Chapter will be from Teddy's point of view.


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